Blah vs. Fabulous…..What makes the difference?

[forgap]

We are just off Splendor and we have almost 200 days sailing Regent.  I mentioned in my review that it seemed like the key staff were just “ dialing it in” rather than making this particular cruise memorable for the passengers.  Other cruises have been unique and exciting with accessible and engaged staff.  
 

Certainly the itinerary is a factor but in this recent cruise (London to Barcelona) there seemed to be little to make it special and memorable.  There was no deck BBQ, no special meals other than the wine lunch (extra $), no formal night, no dance parties, no variation in the daily or evening schedule. 
 

What is your take on this?  Are there factors behind the scenes that impact the cruise?  Is it the passenger mix?  Is it how close the decision makers are to the end of their contract?  Is it some edict from Miami that impacts staff mood?  I’d like to hear your take on this.  

[loriva]

24 minutes ago, forgap said:

We are just off Splendor and we have almost 200 days sailing Regent.  I mentioned in my review that it seemed like the key staff were just “ dialing it in” rather than making this particular cruise memorable for the passengers.  Other cruises have been unique and exciting with accessible and engaged staff.  
 

Certainly the itinerary is a factor but in this recent cruise (London to Barcelona) there seemed to be little to make it special and memorable.  There was no deck BBQ, no special meals other than the wine lunch (extra $), no formal night, no dance parties, no variation in the daily or evening schedule. 
 

What is your take on this?  Are there factors behind the scenes that impact the cruise?  Is it the passenger mix?  Is it how close the decision makers are to the end of their contract?  Is it some edict from Miami that impacts staff mood?  I’d like to hear your take on this.  

 

Thanks for your thoughts, @forgap.  We will be boarding Splendor on Friday, so this directly impacts us.  We are relatively new to Regent--this will be our second on Splendor, third overall--and only started with them post-COVID.  As such, we've never experienced many of the things experienced Regent cruisers rave about.  No full Sunday Champagne Brunch.  No Block Party.  No Deck BBQ.  Our itinerary is very port-intensive, with only one sea day, so we now know to scale our expectations accordingly.

 

I'd already decided not to book anything new on Regent on this cruise.  After seeing the corporation's handling of the Voyager itinerary departing today (we have relatives on-board) I'm not sure we'll book another Regent cruise for the future.

 

Who was the CD on your cruise?  Head sommelier?  GM?  Hotel Manager?  Did you have a chance to speak to any of them about your experience and concerns?  Are any of them heading off to Grandeur and, therefore, "over" Splendor as the newest and greatest ship in the fleet?

[forgap]

@loriva  well, that says it all, doesn’t it?  We are one week home and I have NO RECOLLECTION of the names of any of the senior staff! 

[1sttimerrt]

We went on our first cruise on Silver Sea Silver Moon in May and loved it.  So we were very excited about our trip on Regent Splendor we had scheduled for August.  It was okay, but a disappointment compared to our previous trip.  We are trying Regent again on the Mariner in December and hope for a more attentive crew experience then.

[PaulaJK]

1 hour ago, loriva said:

 

Thanks for your thoughts, @forgap.  We will be boarding Splendor on Friday, so this directly impacts us.  We are relatively new to Regent--this will be our second on Splendor, third overall--and only started with them post-COVID.  As such, we've never experienced many of the things experienced Regent cruisers rave about.  No full Sunday Champagne Brunch.  No Block Party.  No Deck BBQ.  Our itinerary is very port-intensive, with only one sea day, so we now know to scale our expectations accordingly.

 

I'd already decided not to book anything new on Regent on this cruise.  After seeing the corporation's handling of the Voyager itinerary departing today (we have relatives on-board) I'm not sure we'll book another Regent cruise for the future.

 

Who was the CD on your cruise?  Head sommelier?  GM?  Hotel Manager?  Did you have a chance to speak to any of them about your experience and concerns?  Are any of them heading off to Grandeur and, therefore, "over" Splendor as the newest and greatest ship in the fleet?

Wow on all of those missing items. We had the blahs over our Aug/Sept cruise on Mariner and also left w the feeling of ‘nothing special’ except for the crew. No sparkle! But even we had a block party ( multiple days in )  and  Sunday w caviar and champagne. No on deck BBQ or dance party.  CD Jude was out and about although her social staff clustered together ..certainly no officers. Regent may be using ‘port intensive’ to cut back on guest entertainers and events. There were 4 cocktail liunges with two entertainers. One member of the orchestra/ really a quartet/ played in the 3 rd lounge after the show…rather sketchy. When there is nothing exciting or memorable or special, I think the negatives become bolder. Folks invest their vacation time and significant dollars and want to come home saying that was terrific.  I have no idea of the source of these changes but R should be concerned reading these posts which mostly are from folks who have sailed previously. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[John Cruise]

Just off the Explorer and we played a game called

Search for the chefs.

Were they looking for new ideas? more vegetables?

some spices? Some Wows?

We concluded they may have left for the Grandeur.

[Pcardad]

Block party is Captain's decision based on risk of of communicable disease on board. Open air BBQ is not on every cruise as it depends on weather, sea conditions, port departure time, etc. It is more expensive to go into a port than to hire a couple of dancers.

[forgap]

1 minute ago, Pcardad said:

Block party is Captain's decision based on risk of of communicable disease on board. Open air BBQ is not on every cruise as it depends on weather, sea conditions, port departure time, etc. It is more expensive to go into a port than to hire a couple of dancers.

On our cruise we had two overnights in ports - Bordeaux and Lisbon - perfect weather, too.  No deck BBQ.  Feel my disappointment?  Hence my conclusion that they were not making an effort on our segment.  

[cwn]

Seems like there are more 7 and 10 port intensive cruises post Covid and now 3 new bigger ships. That draws a different crowd therefore a different vibe. People are tired after long flights and there isn’t enough time to recover from that and really enjoy the cruise before the cruise ends. And they get even more tired going on tours all the time. Also less time for ship events. We experienced this over our last three cruises. A port a day … people are going all the time and more things can go wrong especially with the tours making some really cranky. There isn’t enough time just to have and enjoy ship events. The ship life was always what was so special on Regent. They have really lost some of that with the bigger fancier new ships. Same thing happened years ago on Seaboune and sent us to Regent.

[cwn]

16 minutes ago, forgap said:

On our cruise we had two overnights in ports - Bordeaux and Lisbon - perfect weather, too.  No deck BBQ.  Feel my disappointment?  Hence my conclusion that they were not making an effort on our segment.  

 Din’t ever remember a deck Event on an overnight. Flip side of that….Some people would complain about wanting to go ashore for dinner etc and many times tours are night time ones for late sailings or overnights.

[forgap]

2 minutes ago, cwn said:

 Din’t ever remember a deck Event on an overnight. Flip side of that….Some people would complain about wanting to go ashore for dinner etc and many times tours are night time ones for late sailings or overnights.

We had an overnight in Haifa and a deck BBQ.  Pre Covid. 

[cwn]

We have had deck BBQs on cruises but not every cruise. Same with the County Fair and some of the other special deck events. Our experience has been with a port every day or all but one day there has not been as many ship side events both pre and post Covid. 

 

I do feel that there are less longer cruises with a nice mix of sea days and port days. Yes we have made port days a sea day but it is not the same…. If it is a real sea day you have lots of things going on out side the suite to do… lectures etc. 

 

I have no proof and only the bean counters know for sure but I feel it is really cheaper for Regent to do all port days . Less daytime drinking, Less nighttime Drinking because people are tired from a day of touring and need to get up early for another day of touring, at least some people. So no real need for a lot of night time entertainment. Less demand on the restaurants for big meals for breakfast and lunch because people are off the ship. Granted they have port charges based on per person, but if you have ever had those refunded by a ship you know that does’t buy many drinks. Regent says they put Up to $125 -50 on the free tours…. but this is retail rate and I am sure that they get a reduced rate buying in bulk and many free tours have a retail cost less than their allowance. And with people off the ship there is less need for extra entertainment 

Just my feeling after many days on Regent pre and post Covid with more booked. Even with the seeming changes. Having sailed with both Seabourn and Silversea we will stay with Regent, so far, because their caring crew and especially the smaller ships makes all the difference and worth every penny for our vacation dollar!

 

[Gilly]

An interesting conversation @forgap and one that has made me think about our recent experience on board Splendor, just a few weeks before you. Our was a first B2B pair of cruises, with different captains and GMs and a sudden change of CD when the scheduled CD and Social Hostess (Andy and Tammy) had to return home for family reasons. There was a distinct change in atmosphere on board on turnaround day which we attributed to a different clientele - the shorter cruise which ended in Southampton had, unsurpringly, more British people on board than the next leg, which seemed more popular with guests from the USA. I'm not sure the change in officers made a difference or not.

 

A cooler weather cruise, we weren't surprised to not have a pool party. Instead, there was an ABBA dance party in the Atrium on each of the two cruises, which was fun. I can't recall if we had just one block party or if there were two and we missed the other one! But I do recall that, as the first cruise drew to a close, people were beginning to cough and sneeze and once the second cruise had got going, there were quite a few people suffering from cold/flu symptoms - I can say no more than that. It's hard to imagine how staff members can avoid catching anything going around like this and I'm wondering if this escalated staffing problems during the next few weeks?

 

But one previous experience springs immediately to mind. It was a cruise in the run up to the launch of Splendor or Explorer (we can't recall which one!) and there was a large number of new, inexperienced staff who seemed to be lacking leadership and floundering in their roles. We recall that as a sub-optimal cruise and one when we found ourselves sharing many of the same thoughts as you are now. Given the post CV staff shortages worldwide, finding experienced staff must be trickier than ever especially with the relaunch of Crystal and other completely new brands like Explora seeking people with skills at a similar level.

 

So yes, I can "picture the scene" and am sorry to read that your cruise was less than spectacular. I know that, like us, you have experienced Regent at its best and having done so, that's the standard we expect, isn't it?   It's all very well launching a new ship but not so good if it's the cause of a decline in the existing service, however temporary.

 

We have another four Regent cruises scheduled and look forward to, including some long ones, so I'm hoping this is just a blip. 

 

Edited October 15, 2023 by Gilly

[Pcardad]

I would bet that we have averaged 1 deck BBQ per 40 nights over our journey form 1 day onboard to Titanium (5 year period). We would love more but that is what we have seen. The #1 cost is typically fuel...so much so that the captain's compensation if often tied to consumption. There is also an incredible amount of food waste that they are trying to cut down on. NCLH is reducing non-fuel expenses by 15%...they have no choice. Interest rates are killing all the cruise lines. We have seen no lessening of service since Covid but there are a huge number of new people for a variety of reasons. The full staff is not on the Grandeur yet...they are shipping in stages as needed. The issues impacting Regent are impacting all cruise lines. The grass is not greener. And no - I am not a Regent Fanboi. I have my own list of complaints that I call them on...just not this.

[welshfamily]

Our Mariner cruise in August had

1.a block party…..turned out better than we thought it would due to excellent neighbours.

2. A Deck BBQ….. never ever again we we attend such a dreadful “bun fight” nothing like Azamara or Oceania’s splendid parties.

3. A Deck Party ….. ok.

4. Sunday champagne and caviar. 
 

All port days so it must depend on the CD. 
 

We have booked again because the cruise was better than we have experienced with other companies. 
 

[bumpershoot]

Fablahous: A little bit of both. 😀

[BBWC]

We are on Navigator now, B2B 10 days each. Both segments had Block Party, and two deck dance parties each (Beatles plus ABBA). No BBQ since no overnight stops. Senior management is very visible around the ship.

[papaflamingo]

22 hours ago, forgap said:

What is your take on this?

For me cruising has always been about expectations.  I try hard to keep them real and so far have not been disappointed.  So... my "take on this."  

I'm not much of a conspiracy theorist so I doubt that Regent is purposefully adding more and more ports to "save money."  It's the ports that many of us, me included, cruise for.  Heck just read the Voyager thread at how ticked off people are for MISSING ports.  Let me say.. I LOVE sea days.  But if I want a "sea day" I can always stay on board and have "run of the ship."   But Regent would NEVER be a cruise line I would book for shows, games, etc.  I'd book a mega liner for those things.  I sail Regent for the ports and the overall relaxed experience.  I don't want to be out "drinking and partying" until 2 am anymore...too old.  If I want that, I'll book an Oasis class ship on Royal Caribbean in the Caribbean.  I want to see the ports.  We have only done 2 Regent cruises but they totaled 84 days!  We use Regent to "see the world."  

As for cutbacks.  Yup...the Covid shutdown killed the cruise industry.  Something similar happened after 9/11.  The cruise experience changed dramatically.  We were just starting our "cruise life" and sailed predominantly on Royal Caribbean.  But after 9/11 everything changed.  We are seeing some of that after Covid.  However we didn't really see much difference between our 2018 Regent cruise and our 2022 cruise.  I don't care either way about the block party.  I go, it's a nice touch, but not a big deal for me.  I love the Sunday brunch, but I also realize they only happen on sea days.  So if you're not at sea on Sunday, you won't have one.  We had one on both our cruises.   I don't care much about all the games and trivia, so not really a "game changer" for me.  I like lying around the pool or reading on my balcony when at sea.  Had a deck BBQ on both cruises.  They're fine.  I don't care all that much because they are crowded, there's a "fight" for table space, etc.  I enjoy them of course and appreciate the effort, but if we don't get one...fine by me.  

I found the service was exceptional on both our cruises.  The food was too. But then, I didn't get this body of "pure steel and sex appeal" by being a picky eater. 😜  So I have NO complaints about anything.Oh yeah....we did miss ports on both cruises, but I simply roll with the punches because I realize that's the nature of cruising.  

So that's my take.  I guess it all really adds up to what we individually enjoy the most.  I like the Regent business model for the very reasons others seem to be questioning, the port intensive cruises, relaxed atmosphere, quiet after hours with relaxed music and good after dinner drinks, and the slow and quiet at sea days.  But that's me.  If I want non stop excitement I'll go on a large mega ship with slides, broadway shows, 25 bars, zip lines, carousels, flow riders, etc.  Otherwise, a nice bourbon with a book on my balcony is just fine with me. 🥃😎

[PinkMEB]

cwn, I agree on port extensive cruises, people get tired. On the recent London-Barcelona cruise, we gave ourselves three extra sea days - the extra days in Lisbon and Bordeaux and another port. We loved the quiet time relaxing in the shade by the pool and enjoying a leisurely lunch. We have learned this the hard way. 

[cwn]

1 hour ago, PinkMEB said:

cwn, I agree on port extensive cruises, people get tired. On the recent London-Barcelona cruise, we gave ourselves three extra sea days - the extra days in Lisbon and Bordeaux and another port. We loved the quiet time relaxing in the shade by the pool and enjoying a leisurely lunch. We have learned this the hard way. 

My perfect cruise is one where you have a port or two then a sea day or two. We enjoy the ports but we also like the sea day daytime activities on the ship….lectures, crafts, wine tastings and trivia and sitting on the veranda and reading. We like the forced down time in the port mix. If we are in a port we find it hard not to at least get off and walk around. The most sea days in a row we have had is on the Navigator ….9 1/2 days. We lost a port due to weather. DH did get a little antsy😐! He is good for about 6! But the crew did a wonderful job keeping us busy.

 

 

Edited October 16, 2023 by cwn

[flossie009]

On 10/15/2023 at 2:43 PM, forgap said:

I mentioned in my review that it seemed like the key staff were just “ dialing it in” rather than making this particular cruise memorable for the passengers.  Other cruises have been unique and exciting with accessible and engaged staff.  

 

We know exactly what you mean.

 

A couple of years pre-pandemic we took a long cruise on Voyager which just felt "off" the whole time. It was very difficult to identify exactly what was wrong but it just did not seem to be a happy ship and throughout our time on board we felt "invisible". Not our normal Regent experience.

We concluded that it must be down to the GM and other senior management on board.

 

Fortunately since then we have had some excellent experiences, including two particularly stand-out recent cruises:

Splendor: Christmas & New Year 2022 into 23 - fabulous in every way.

Navigator: August 2023 - despite poor weather, we had a very enjoyable cruise; a great on-board Regent team and we met some excellent fellow guests 🙂

 

We are joining Navigator again later this week for a short cruise, so 🤞

 

 

 

 

[SkystheLimit]

We were on the Splendor for 3 weeks in the spring.  Great cruise with excellent food.  Even at that point, several crew members mentioned they would be leaving for the Grandeur.  Captain made fun announcements and senior officers were visible.

 

On the Mariner last month, we thought the food was good but not excellent.  There were a lot Indian dishes in Compass Rose which didn't work for us.  We definitely missed having a third speciality restaurant. We loved the orchestra on the Splendor but not on the Mariner.  However, the pianist was excellent and a wonderful vocalist as well.  There was a block party and caviar breakfast.  Do not recall a deck BBQ.  Jude was the CD on both of our cruises.  She is excellent and everywhere!  The Captain made one noon announcement and I could not have picked any ship's officers out of a lineup.

 

We had a very good time on both cruises but it goes to show that the atmosphere can be different throughout the Regent product.

 

BTW, in our experience no cruise line does a deck BBQ party better than Azamara!

[Pcardad]

1 minute ago, SkystheLimit said:

BTW, in our experience no cruise line does a deck BBQ party better than Azamara!

Azamara also has nude cruises (charters) so I can imagine!

[labonnevie]

17 hours ago, BBWC said:

We are on Navigator now, B2B 10 days each. Both segments had Block Party, and two deck dance parties each (Beatles plus ABBA). No BBQ since no overnight stops. Senior management is very visible around the ship.

How is she looking?

Is Ray the cd?

We get on November 10🤞

[BBWC]

6 hours ago, labonnevie said:

How is she looking?

Is Ray the cd?

We get on November 10🤞

She is in fine shape and everything is in working order, really a difference to Mariner. Ray is still CD. I think he just got on in August so will be around for a while. Crew is wonderful, as we usually find them to be on Navigator. Still our favorite ship.